As announced by Emmanuel in February... Giancarlo Esposito stars in a new ensemble cast thriller series that was officially greenlit by NBC this week.

Titled Revolution, the project is yet another J.J. Abrams creation (the dude is everywhere) along with Eric Kripke, and, in typical Abrams style, is described as a high-octane action drama following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.

Esposito, who earned acclaim for his performance in the most recent season of AMC's hit drama Breaking Bad, will play a character named Captain Neville described as "a southern lieutenant with an air of mystery." If any actor can pull off "an air of mystery" it's Mr Esposito. In fact, he can pull of just about anything! The man is that versatile!

So this is one that I'm looking forward to checking it when it debuts next season.

And I should note that, as you can see from the first official image from the series above, Esposito isn't the only brown-skinned face in its starring cast. You'll also notice Maria Howell. Not familiar with that name? Well, hopefully this is a series that has legs and is successful enough that she's able to attract further attention. This just might be her highest profile gig to date - a primetime weekly drama serial on a major network, created by a notable producer.

Howell has been around for a bit, with roles in both TV and film - from Detroit 1-8-7, to Single Ladies on the small screen, and Mississippi Damned and The Blind Side on the big.

And by the way, Jon Favreau has signed on to direct the pilot episode.